Why You Should Start Interborough Dating in NYC
4 Reasons Interborough Dating Makes You a New Yorker
Dating in New York City has been jabbed and probed by writers, show producers, city influencers, rising TikTok stars that have lived here for six months, and myself. The city of dating is enticingly dissectible with our diverse catalog of people, lifestyles, and bustling date spots. We are generally open-minded looking for adventure in every dark corner or street passerby. New York daters crave connection in whatever form we can piece together for the night.
Yet, there’s one thing New Yorkers love to talk more about than dating. And that’s location. Location and subways. They are what bind us and divide us. Our uncontrollable New York tick to judge each other’s neighborhoods and boroughs subtly. Not necessarily for what the neighborhood offers, but for its proximity to our own. And, when you mix that with the other thing New Yorkers love to talk about, dating and location go head-to-head. Even to the point of becoming a dating deal breaker.
The hesitation to interborough dating has been embedded into our dating culture. Our New York dating ancestors saw interborough relationships as long-distance. Before the Q train and ever-improving L train, they may have had a point. As small as New York City looks on a map, going uptown to Greenpoint might as well be a flight. But this old-time mentality is closing our open-minded dating culture. Now, dating apps make it easier than ever to shorten our dating maps.
Is it that New Yorkers want to date someone in a one-train radius or that we can’t be bothered to transfer like the New York daters before us?
As New York’s infrastructure (slowly) expands and our subway commutes quicken, so should our dating horizons. Interborough dating is what will bind our neighborhoods together, again. Using dating as a tool to connect with our friends across the river will help lessen the neighborhood judgment and teach us to accept every borough for its unique culture. Without every borough, neighborhood, or community, New York wouldn’t be the city of dating that everyone wants a piece of.
Of course, age and time lived in New York City can affect one’s interest in seeking dates outside the comfort of their neighborhood. However, that’s where Millennial New Yorkers must come in to inspire the generations that come after us. Dare I say to inspire the New York generations that come before us?
New York isn’t a one-stop influencer shop to explore trending neighborhoods of the internet moment. The city is a combination of all five boroughs. And what better excuse to discover the hidden gems of the place we call home than dating?
So, if you still aren’t convinced Interborough dating will bring you closer to the city you love, then read my 4 reasons why you should increase your dating app radius.
You’ll discover neighborhoods you may not have considered exploring before.
Meeting your interborough date in their neighborhood allows them to show someone around their neighborhood. Like any place you visit, sticking with a local is the best way to experience the culture. We are all New York, but we are also different and that’s what makes us New York.
Vice versa, you can show off your neighborhood to your date.
You know those moments you have in your neighborhood alone where you wonder what it would be like to share that with someone? Now is your chance. Share your favorite spots with your date. Tell them a funny story about the bodega you walk past together. Show your interborough date what your neighborhood brings to New York culture.
Add new bars and restaurants to your saved Google Maps or Mapstr.
One of the biggest perks of dating in New York City is finding the best bars and foods by simply living your life. A date spot may become your new favorite restaurant. Taking this dating perk to other boroughs gives you a leg up on all those Instagram and TikTok New York videos. You get to experience the untouched, hidden gems of the city in real time.
You’ll feel more like a New Yorker.
Being a New Yorker is experiencing all the boroughs. It’s knowing the ins and outs of the neighborhoods and having friends in various boroughs. Being a New Yorker is taking the subway twenty stops to eat your favorite ramen. Interborough dating gives you an opportunity to learn about the subway system, the cultures found above their steps, and knowing how to return to discover more.
